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20 Minutes #3
20 Minutes in the Park
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Hyde Park, there's more than just the sounds of nature in the air.
There's the threat from the mysterious murderer roaming the footpaths. There's the music from the festival where a recently released criminal is about to unleash havoc. And there's the chance at revenge for a heroic couple who never thought they would get it...
20 Minutes. 20 People. 20 reasons this is more than just a walk in the park.
There's the threat from the mysterious murderer roaming the footpaths. There's the music from the festival where a recently released criminal is about to unleash havoc. And there's the chance at revenge for a heroic couple who never thought they would get it...
20 Minutes. 20 People. 20 reasons this is more than just a walk in the park.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2020
305 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Hurst
89 books3,966 followersDaniel Hurst is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of fast paced psychological thrillers. His most popular titles include Til Death Do Us Part, The Passenger and The Doctor's Wife, the latter title reaching #1 on the Amazon UK Kindle store in February 2023. A regular KDP Select All Star since he became a full-time author in 2021, Daniel prides himself on writing fast, releasing stories often and engaging with his readers.
You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'
You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
February 13, 2025
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
Taking place one month after the events in "20 Minutes later" , this book takes us to 20 minutes in one stunning summer's day in Hyde Park where we rejoin many from the previous two books and meet some new faces too. However, there are quite a lot of grammatical errors that I feel should have been editted out but I won't rate down for that as some have, because this is such a fun series that is wildly entertaining from start to finish that leaves you hanging for more of each of the characters' stories.
Once again, Jelena heads up things with the continuation of her story now enjoying her freedom one month after escaping the Serbian sex traffickers that had her imprisoned for four long months. Today she is attending a music festival in Hyde Park but still she cannot relax unless Bogdan is nearby. And he is, having thrown in his dead-end job as an office cleaner and is now working as a security guard for the event. But then she sees a face from her past and all her terrors come racing back to the surface. She looks frantically around for Bogdan before indicating, through their own form of communication, who she had just seen. She knows that as long as she has Bogdan she is safe.
Also at the festival are a handful of people we have already met and some we haven't. Lindsey is there with her friends having arranged to meet her boyfriend Diego (who she met on the morning commute on the tube) who turns up with his trademark beanie on a scorching summer's day. He says it's to hide a bad haircut but is that really the truth? It's not clear whether he has ever shed the beanie in her presence in the month they have been together. We meet newcomer Jagdeep, a young Indian woman, who is enjoying the ecstasy tablet she and her friend Priya have taken from a dealer at the festival and dreaming of the bigger and better festival they will be attending in Croatia next month. But then she begins to feel strange and unable to breathe. She tries calling to Priya but she loses her in the crowd as she falls to the ground unnoticed by the heaving crowd around her. We also meet Shoots the dealer who sold the ecstasy to the girls and many others, continuing to ply his trade until he is spotted by Tom, an off-duty police officer, and legs it.
But front and centre at the festival we meet Will again, with Chantelle alongside him, as his popularity has rocketed with his debut single written about his blindness as he performs for the crowd of 10,000 people. We also meet his mum Ruth who is in the crowd to watch her son shine on the stage and wishing he could see the faces he is performing to. Will's fame has gone global since a Hollywood actress and then studio producer noticed him and all his dreams about performing have come true.
A few newbies to the story in that we meet elderly but pompous Chester walking his dog Rafferty, ending in an unfortunate way while Sharah was walking her ex-boyfriend's doberman, Rusty. Izzy, the homeless woman on the park bench, tried to get his attention to alert him to the danger but he just wrote her off as a homeless woman and ignored her...to his peril. Louise is in the park with her new-found addiction in marathon running, trying to escape the memory of what Joe did to her five months ago. And then there is April, Joe's new girlfriend, who is also in the park with her best friend as they paid for a prisoner boot camp which they soon begin questioning what on earth were they thinking. There is also Dominic, their instructor and former prisoner, dishing out the punishment. Valentin is also in the park that day with a spring in his step, mentally forging out his new career path as a serial killer. Harry is also back in the wake of the news that the man who jumped in front of the train that day was the father he had been on his way to meet and now he never will. Carol is enjoying a new lease of life on the Serpentine with husband Steve and rounding things off is Bogdan and his quest for revenge for what was done to Jelena. With the information at his fingertips, Bogdan is now on a mission to find the elusive Laslo.
I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in everyone's stories even if it wasn't quite as edge-of-your-seat exciting as the first two (prequel excluded) but I did have one big issue with this one which is my main reason for knocking off half a star. Harry is 12 years old and therefore when he finds a clear baggie of pills he would see them for what they are - a clear baggie of pills - but instead he has been portrayed as thinking they were sweets or mints and monologuing his impatience to try them when he gets the chance. Come on. At 12 years old living in London? He's not that sheltered. He was canny enough to find out where his father worked and all about him and then took himself off to meet him...and yet a baggie of pills he thinks are sweeties? What is he? Six? Seven years old? No. That type of thinking is reserved for someone younger and still VERY innocent in the ways of the world. While he may be somewhat innocent, he is not THAT innocent to not know what they are. I'm sorry but that was totally 100% not believable.
While only 150 pages in length, there is alot going on in this book and even more people I haven't mentioned. Some stories are captivating and leave you wanting more while others are just mediocre or maybe they are just getting started. I have to admit, I'm not excited about April's; I'm just waiting for her find out the truth about Joe. The same with Lindsey and Diego. Harry's story has tapered off a little but I think it's Jelena's and Bogdan's that really keep it moving as well as Will's and dare I say it? Valentin's.
While they are shorter than full length books, they still take me a good part of the day or night to get through (real life has a way of getting in the way). I can't wait to see what's in store for everyone coming and who we will meet next.
Next...20 Minutes on Holiday
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
Taking place one month after the events in "20 Minutes later" , this book takes us to 20 minutes in one stunning summer's day in Hyde Park where we rejoin many from the previous two books and meet some new faces too. However, there are quite a lot of grammatical errors that I feel should have been editted out but I won't rate down for that as some have, because this is such a fun series that is wildly entertaining from start to finish that leaves you hanging for more of each of the characters' stories.
Once again, Jelena heads up things with the continuation of her story now enjoying her freedom one month after escaping the Serbian sex traffickers that had her imprisoned for four long months. Today she is attending a music festival in Hyde Park but still she cannot relax unless Bogdan is nearby. And he is, having thrown in his dead-end job as an office cleaner and is now working as a security guard for the event. But then she sees a face from her past and all her terrors come racing back to the surface. She looks frantically around for Bogdan before indicating, through their own form of communication, who she had just seen. She knows that as long as she has Bogdan she is safe.
Also at the festival are a handful of people we have already met and some we haven't. Lindsey is there with her friends having arranged to meet her boyfriend Diego (who she met on the morning commute on the tube) who turns up with his trademark beanie on a scorching summer's day. He says it's to hide a bad haircut but is that really the truth? It's not clear whether he has ever shed the beanie in her presence in the month they have been together. We meet newcomer Jagdeep, a young Indian woman, who is enjoying the ecstasy tablet she and her friend Priya have taken from a dealer at the festival and dreaming of the bigger and better festival they will be attending in Croatia next month. But then she begins to feel strange and unable to breathe. She tries calling to Priya but she loses her in the crowd as she falls to the ground unnoticed by the heaving crowd around her. We also meet Shoots the dealer who sold the ecstasy to the girls and many others, continuing to ply his trade until he is spotted by Tom, an off-duty police officer, and legs it.
But front and centre at the festival we meet Will again, with Chantelle alongside him, as his popularity has rocketed with his debut single written about his blindness as he performs for the crowd of 10,000 people. We also meet his mum Ruth who is in the crowd to watch her son shine on the stage and wishing he could see the faces he is performing to. Will's fame has gone global since a Hollywood actress and then studio producer noticed him and all his dreams about performing have come true.
A few newbies to the story in that we meet elderly but pompous Chester walking his dog Rafferty, ending in an unfortunate way while Sharah was walking her ex-boyfriend's doberman, Rusty. Izzy, the homeless woman on the park bench, tried to get his attention to alert him to the danger but he just wrote her off as a homeless woman and ignored her...to his peril. Louise is in the park with her new-found addiction in marathon running, trying to escape the memory of what Joe did to her five months ago. And then there is April, Joe's new girlfriend, who is also in the park with her best friend as they paid for a prisoner boot camp which they soon begin questioning what on earth were they thinking. There is also Dominic, their instructor and former prisoner, dishing out the punishment. Valentin is also in the park that day with a spring in his step, mentally forging out his new career path as a serial killer. Harry is also back in the wake of the news that the man who jumped in front of the train that day was the father he had been on his way to meet and now he never will. Carol is enjoying a new lease of life on the Serpentine with husband Steve and rounding things off is Bogdan and his quest for revenge for what was done to Jelena. With the information at his fingertips, Bogdan is now on a mission to find the elusive Laslo.
I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in everyone's stories even if it wasn't quite as edge-of-your-seat exciting as the first two (prequel excluded) but I did have one big issue with this one which is my main reason for knocking off half a star. Harry is 12 years old and therefore when he finds a clear baggie of pills he would see them for what they are - a clear baggie of pills - but instead he has been portrayed as thinking they were sweets or mints and monologuing his impatience to try them when he gets the chance. Come on. At 12 years old living in London? He's not that sheltered. He was canny enough to find out where his father worked and all about him and then took himself off to meet him...and yet a baggie of pills he thinks are sweeties? What is he? Six? Seven years old? No. That type of thinking is reserved for someone younger and still VERY innocent in the ways of the world. While he may be somewhat innocent, he is not THAT innocent to not know what they are. I'm sorry but that was totally 100% not believable.
While only 150 pages in length, there is alot going on in this book and even more people I haven't mentioned. Some stories are captivating and leave you wanting more while others are just mediocre or maybe they are just getting started. I have to admit, I'm not excited about April's; I'm just waiting for her find out the truth about Joe. The same with Lindsey and Diego. Harry's story has tapered off a little but I think it's Jelena's and Bogdan's that really keep it moving as well as Will's and dare I say it? Valentin's.
While they are shorter than full length books, they still take me a good part of the day or night to get through (real life has a way of getting in the way). I can't wait to see what's in store for everyone coming and who we will meet next.
Next...20 Minutes on Holiday
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
August 17, 2020
Really enjoying this series. I love the style of jumping between intertwining characters. I sense publication is rushed (perhaps written by dictation), as there are a lot of grammar mistakes that sometimes detract from the overall reading experience (am I a bit of a pedant??)
Ultimately, though, a really well-written series.
Ultimately, though, a really well-written series.
January 8, 2021
Great read
Yet another great read in the 20 minute series, can't wait to read the next one to see what happens
Yet another great read in the 20 minute series, can't wait to read the next one to see what happens
May 13, 2023
This is the third book of the series and it seems like the series is going downhill fast. While I loved the first book and the unique and clever writing style for the series, now with the third book I’m finding it boring already even though there’s many more to follow.
Each chapter is a story from a different character. Some are from the previous book/s and some are new. I found that each chapter was like starting a new book where the story takes a while to pick up. So many times I was thinking of not finishing but I kept reading. It picked up after 75% but there’s unfinished stories that would continue in the next book, which I would read if it were the final book but this series is a long one so I’ll be stopping here.
Daniel Hurst writes amazing stand alone psychological thrillers and I’ll continue to read those but unfortunately I won’t be continuing with this series.
Each chapter is a story from a different character. Some are from the previous book/s and some are new. I found that each chapter was like starting a new book where the story takes a while to pick up. So many times I was thinking of not finishing but I kept reading. It picked up after 75% but there’s unfinished stories that would continue in the next book, which I would read if it were the final book but this series is a long one so I’ll be stopping here.
Daniel Hurst writes amazing stand alone psychological thrillers and I’ll continue to read those but unfortunately I won’t be continuing with this series.
February 12, 2023
This "20 Minutes"-series is sneaking slowly up on me, and I like each story more and more.
Many characters you already know from the previous stories are making comebacks, since their stories seem not to end.
It is truly like a soap opera on paper and has everything: Love, Hate, Accidents, Murders, and so, so much more !
The characters are of all ages, from children to teens, to young adults, grown adults, mid-life, pre-retirees and finally to the elderly - from ALL walks of lifes, cultures, religions, etc.
The author is truly taking us through several lifes of people and it is exhillerating - expecially since the characters truly grow on you.
This is the first one in the series, I have to give a full 5 stars, since I finally know all the characters, while slowly more characters and life stories get introduced.
It might be short(er) books, but I love them - I actually devour them during work, since I have many times where I am at a stand-still and have literally nothing to do.
I would highly recommend to "binge-read" this series !
Enjoy...
May 4, 2020
Another Excellent book is the 20 minutes series. Looking forward to the next one being released.
February 8, 2021
3rd book in the series. Nice quick read. 20 minutes. 20 characters. Some you have met before but all linked in some way. Enjoying this series so far.
November 9, 2023
And the beat goes on.
January 3, 2023
I enjoyed 20 Minutes in the Park book 3 a psychological thriller by Daniel Hurst. A series of inter-connected short stories.
Jelena Markovic who was sex trafficked for four months encounters her controlling abuser whilst sitting in Hyde Park relaxing and waiting for Bogdan. Zao one of the abuser's real name is Vukasin Dordevic who was known to the authorities in Siberia. He was the man whose ear was half bitten off during the brutal sex attack on Jelena. He now covered his head with a beanie cap which was to hide his torn ear. Justice would be coming for him once Jelena mentions to Bogdan that she had spotted him and Bogdan hunts him down to the music festival which is at one end of the park.
Diego Olivera works as a Senior Associate at a firm of Lawyers and is a very wealthy business man in his thirties and his firm liked their employees to be family men. He enjoys the life style of a play boy who pays women for sex but he does it more for the control and power it gives him. He had paid a lot of money for surgery to his ear which had been bitten earlier in the year and wore a beanie hat whilst it was healing. He was dating Lyndsey who is ten years younger than himself who is in his thirties. He met her on the tube when she had given up her seat to an elderly gentleman.
Lindsey Beattie had met Diego a month ago on the tube when there was a physical attraction when she had given up her seat for an elderly gentleman. She thought she had been stood up when Diego was running late for the music festival she had invited him to in order to meet her friends. When she told her friends that he was ten years older than her they told her the age gap was too much.
Nico Fire started his career of DJ at the age of fourteen in Berlin in his family home. The song After burner a dance track which shot to number one established him as the current king od EDM music at the age of twenty-one. He was riding in limos alongside Claire, the Senior Editor of AMI Music Magazine and he did not want this time in his life to end.
Claire Humphrey worked for a small music magazine across the road from Hyde Park and is attending the music festival as Senior Editor for AMI Music Magazine. She was covering DJ Nico Fire and is suffering from sleep deprivation by all the travelling she had done covering Nico. She knew she was not first choice for the position of Senior Editor as Olivia Harringay was but she had disappeared about a month ago and was presumed dead but no body had been found to-date.
Valentin Morozov has a spring in his step as he walks through Hyde Park as he had finished what he had planned which was to become a serial killer. This poor wretch of a girl was a commuter whom he took an instant dislike to whilst he travelled via the tube will be his first kill and she had auburn hair. He was like a hunter hunting his prey which led right to the victim's front door.
April Adams also known as number seventeen was just one of the members of a gruelling prison exercise in Hyde Park by an ex prisoner who formed his own company caled Reformed and he took no prisoners as he believed in no pain no gain regime. Everyone who took part in the exercises were all given numbers not names in order to experience what it would be like for actual prisoners. April wants to get toned up for Joe whom she met on a dating app.
Louise Robertson was running through Hyde Park in order to keep fit and it was also good for her mental health as five months ago she was raped by her ex-boyfriend, Joe Swan. She held down a job as a receptionist but due to the rape she indulged in pick pocketing but has taken up running in order to stop pick pocketing. She dreamed about getting married and settling down with children in the future but still could not help wondering what had become of Joe and was he having any remorse for what he had done.
Chester Winstingham a well to do elderly gentleman who adored his poodle Rafferty who loved to take Rafferty for walks on his lead through Hyde Park. Chester felt he could relate to animals more than human beings as they were more loyal. Chester had not long lost his Father who was in his nineties and was missing him a lot and now he had no one except for Rafferty. Chester had been in a gay relationship with Winston who left Chester for thirty years but Chester had left him for a friend of Chester who was also elderly. He noticed on his walk with Rafferty a homeless woman who was lying on a bench in the park shouting and waving at him but he ignored her as he thought she was an alcoholic and deadbeat unfortunately this would have repurcussions for both Chester and his beloved pet dog Rafferty.
Sharah Powell was walking her ex-boyfriend's dog through Hyde Park but as she was petite and the dog so much bigger and stronger she could not control him when she could not restrain him and he ran off toward an elderly gentleman who was walking a poodle and was unaware of the catastrophe that was about to happen. She no longer dreamed of reuniting with her ex-boyfriend now that she had lost control of his beloved pet dog Rusty.
Izzy Barton spends most of her time on the park bench in Hyde Park as she is an alcoholic and homeless. It was never like this before when she had held a job as Nurse two years ago at the age of twenty-five but now at the age of twenty-seven and had been fired for stealing pills as she was suffering from anxiety and depression and it caused her to act as though she were drunk whilst treating patients. Izzy then turned to alcohol and ended up being evicted and penniless. Izzy was actually content with her lot.
Dominic Saliki had done time in prison but was now a free man and was putting people through their paces in gruelling exercises in the park. Dominic had hated Alan a prison guard whilst he was in prison serving four years aged twenty-two and he never talked softly to Dominic just bellowed. Dominic carried on bellowing at the fitness fanatics who paid him to inflict pain on their bodies and the fantasy of being treated as prisoners and he acted like a prison guard barking instructions to them all. Dominic was convicted of being a drug handler known as Shoots a nick name he had been given.
Liam 'Shoots' McKenzie sold drugs and was very good at it too. He took advantage of music festivals at parks as he could unload his drugs easily. He got through illegally underneath a fence which had a gap. Before he was sentenced he was the top dog who had others selling drugs now since his release he had to start selling them himself. Liam did not care what was in the tablets they could have had rat poison or had been fake tablets as all he cared about was profit.
Jagdeep Akhtar was a young Asian girl who was enjoying the ecsasy tablet she had just purchsased from a dealer at the music festival in the park and was on a high. It was her best friend's Priya who suggested she should buy the pills but she did not partake. Both friends had been brought up in strict Asian family backgrounds. Jagdeep had lost Priya in the crowd as they danced away but she was now feeling breathless and wobbly and she thinks it must have been that pill she had taken and she fell to the ground and no one noticed.
Will Robertson's singing career was on the up and up as he was one of the acts which were performing in Hyde Park music festival. He invited his Mum to come and see him perform. He was diagnosed with Giant Cell Arteritis which rendered him blind but it did not stop him from becoming famous. He was discovered singing as a busker at the tube station by an actress who had recorded him playing. Through the support of Chantelle he overcomes his anxiety and performs once again as his confidence had been taken away by his diagnosis.
Ruth Robertson was one of the oldest at the festival in the park and is also Will's Mother. She did not want to go backstage as Will had suggested instead she was among the audience in the park watching Will perform and she was so proud of what he had achieved. Will had even dedicated his song Demon In The Dark for her as he too was proud of his Mother for supporting him too as she was a single parent bringing Will up and she worked hard as a cleaner. Will did not know that his Mother had a secret she had kept from him and his Mother felt shame about it too.
Tom Casey was an off duty Policeman and was in the park with his wife and was watching a drug dealer at the music festival and he did not trust the Security guards to apprehend him thus taking it into his own hands to apprehend him which would end up in a fatality for more than one person.
Harry Baxter who went on a quest to find his Father but sadly was never to meet him as he had committed suicide. Harry enjoys a day out with his Mother having a kick about with a football in Hyde Park when he sees a man running through the park and gets ran over. Unbeknown to Harry's Mother the man who was running had dropped a bag of sweets and Harry had picked them and was salvitating at the thought of eating one of them without his Mother finding out as she did not like him eating too much sugar.
Carol Heath has started to enjoy life to the full since she received her test results for cancer when she had been given the all clear. Carol hadn't told any of her family about her hospital appointment as she did not want to alarm them in case it had been a false alarm. She has now come to the conclusion that money can not buy you health and family is everything.
Bogdan Petrovic is on the hunt for Jelena's illegal sex attacker whom she had bitten his ear off and was at the music festival in Hyde Park. His position of Security guard made him think carefully about how he was going to get his revenge without anyone seeing. Bogdan beat him up until he disclosed his name Diego and he also wanted the names of the two abusers who sex trafficked Selena but he gave only one name Laslo. Bogdan spares Diego but not before he calls the Police. Now he is on a mission to seek revenge on Laslo.
Jelena Markovic who was sex trafficked for four months encounters her controlling abuser whilst sitting in Hyde Park relaxing and waiting for Bogdan. Zao one of the abuser's real name is Vukasin Dordevic who was known to the authorities in Siberia. He was the man whose ear was half bitten off during the brutal sex attack on Jelena. He now covered his head with a beanie cap which was to hide his torn ear. Justice would be coming for him once Jelena mentions to Bogdan that she had spotted him and Bogdan hunts him down to the music festival which is at one end of the park.
Diego Olivera works as a Senior Associate at a firm of Lawyers and is a very wealthy business man in his thirties and his firm liked their employees to be family men. He enjoys the life style of a play boy who pays women for sex but he does it more for the control and power it gives him. He had paid a lot of money for surgery to his ear which had been bitten earlier in the year and wore a beanie hat whilst it was healing. He was dating Lyndsey who is ten years younger than himself who is in his thirties. He met her on the tube when she had given up her seat to an elderly gentleman.
Lindsey Beattie had met Diego a month ago on the tube when there was a physical attraction when she had given up her seat for an elderly gentleman. She thought she had been stood up when Diego was running late for the music festival she had invited him to in order to meet her friends. When she told her friends that he was ten years older than her they told her the age gap was too much.
Nico Fire started his career of DJ at the age of fourteen in Berlin in his family home. The song After burner a dance track which shot to number one established him as the current king od EDM music at the age of twenty-one. He was riding in limos alongside Claire, the Senior Editor of AMI Music Magazine and he did not want this time in his life to end.
Claire Humphrey worked for a small music magazine across the road from Hyde Park and is attending the music festival as Senior Editor for AMI Music Magazine. She was covering DJ Nico Fire and is suffering from sleep deprivation by all the travelling she had done covering Nico. She knew she was not first choice for the position of Senior Editor as Olivia Harringay was but she had disappeared about a month ago and was presumed dead but no body had been found to-date.
Valentin Morozov has a spring in his step as he walks through Hyde Park as he had finished what he had planned which was to become a serial killer. This poor wretch of a girl was a commuter whom he took an instant dislike to whilst he travelled via the tube will be his first kill and she had auburn hair. He was like a hunter hunting his prey which led right to the victim's front door.
April Adams also known as number seventeen was just one of the members of a gruelling prison exercise in Hyde Park by an ex prisoner who formed his own company caled Reformed and he took no prisoners as he believed in no pain no gain regime. Everyone who took part in the exercises were all given numbers not names in order to experience what it would be like for actual prisoners. April wants to get toned up for Joe whom she met on a dating app.
Louise Robertson was running through Hyde Park in order to keep fit and it was also good for her mental health as five months ago she was raped by her ex-boyfriend, Joe Swan. She held down a job as a receptionist but due to the rape she indulged in pick pocketing but has taken up running in order to stop pick pocketing. She dreamed about getting married and settling down with children in the future but still could not help wondering what had become of Joe and was he having any remorse for what he had done.
Chester Winstingham a well to do elderly gentleman who adored his poodle Rafferty who loved to take Rafferty for walks on his lead through Hyde Park. Chester felt he could relate to animals more than human beings as they were more loyal. Chester had not long lost his Father who was in his nineties and was missing him a lot and now he had no one except for Rafferty. Chester had been in a gay relationship with Winston who left Chester for thirty years but Chester had left him for a friend of Chester who was also elderly. He noticed on his walk with Rafferty a homeless woman who was lying on a bench in the park shouting and waving at him but he ignored her as he thought she was an alcoholic and deadbeat unfortunately this would have repurcussions for both Chester and his beloved pet dog Rafferty.
Sharah Powell was walking her ex-boyfriend's dog through Hyde Park but as she was petite and the dog so much bigger and stronger she could not control him when she could not restrain him and he ran off toward an elderly gentleman who was walking a poodle and was unaware of the catastrophe that was about to happen. She no longer dreamed of reuniting with her ex-boyfriend now that she had lost control of his beloved pet dog Rusty.
Izzy Barton spends most of her time on the park bench in Hyde Park as she is an alcoholic and homeless. It was never like this before when she had held a job as Nurse two years ago at the age of twenty-five but now at the age of twenty-seven and had been fired for stealing pills as she was suffering from anxiety and depression and it caused her to act as though she were drunk whilst treating patients. Izzy then turned to alcohol and ended up being evicted and penniless. Izzy was actually content with her lot.
Dominic Saliki had done time in prison but was now a free man and was putting people through their paces in gruelling exercises in the park. Dominic had hated Alan a prison guard whilst he was in prison serving four years aged twenty-two and he never talked softly to Dominic just bellowed. Dominic carried on bellowing at the fitness fanatics who paid him to inflict pain on their bodies and the fantasy of being treated as prisoners and he acted like a prison guard barking instructions to them all. Dominic was convicted of being a drug handler known as Shoots a nick name he had been given.
Liam 'Shoots' McKenzie sold drugs and was very good at it too. He took advantage of music festivals at parks as he could unload his drugs easily. He got through illegally underneath a fence which had a gap. Before he was sentenced he was the top dog who had others selling drugs now since his release he had to start selling them himself. Liam did not care what was in the tablets they could have had rat poison or had been fake tablets as all he cared about was profit.
Jagdeep Akhtar was a young Asian girl who was enjoying the ecsasy tablet she had just purchsased from a dealer at the music festival in the park and was on a high. It was her best friend's Priya who suggested she should buy the pills but she did not partake. Both friends had been brought up in strict Asian family backgrounds. Jagdeep had lost Priya in the crowd as they danced away but she was now feeling breathless and wobbly and she thinks it must have been that pill she had taken and she fell to the ground and no one noticed.
Will Robertson's singing career was on the up and up as he was one of the acts which were performing in Hyde Park music festival. He invited his Mum to come and see him perform. He was diagnosed with Giant Cell Arteritis which rendered him blind but it did not stop him from becoming famous. He was discovered singing as a busker at the tube station by an actress who had recorded him playing. Through the support of Chantelle he overcomes his anxiety and performs once again as his confidence had been taken away by his diagnosis.
Ruth Robertson was one of the oldest at the festival in the park and is also Will's Mother. She did not want to go backstage as Will had suggested instead she was among the audience in the park watching Will perform and she was so proud of what he had achieved. Will had even dedicated his song Demon In The Dark for her as he too was proud of his Mother for supporting him too as she was a single parent bringing Will up and she worked hard as a cleaner. Will did not know that his Mother had a secret she had kept from him and his Mother felt shame about it too.
Tom Casey was an off duty Policeman and was in the park with his wife and was watching a drug dealer at the music festival and he did not trust the Security guards to apprehend him thus taking it into his own hands to apprehend him which would end up in a fatality for more than one person.
Harry Baxter who went on a quest to find his Father but sadly was never to meet him as he had committed suicide. Harry enjoys a day out with his Mother having a kick about with a football in Hyde Park when he sees a man running through the park and gets ran over. Unbeknown to Harry's Mother the man who was running had dropped a bag of sweets and Harry had picked them and was salvitating at the thought of eating one of them without his Mother finding out as she did not like him eating too much sugar.
Carol Heath has started to enjoy life to the full since she received her test results for cancer when she had been given the all clear. Carol hadn't told any of her family about her hospital appointment as she did not want to alarm them in case it had been a false alarm. She has now come to the conclusion that money can not buy you health and family is everything.
Bogdan Petrovic is on the hunt for Jelena's illegal sex attacker whom she had bitten his ear off and was at the music festival in Hyde Park. His position of Security guard made him think carefully about how he was going to get his revenge without anyone seeing. Bogdan beat him up until he disclosed his name Diego and he also wanted the names of the two abusers who sex trafficked Selena but he gave only one name Laslo. Bogdan spares Diego but not before he calls the Police. Now he is on a mission to seek revenge on Laslo.
June 27, 2020
I am still very happy with this series, though I will point out that jumping from on character to a directly connected one left some areas of the story repeated unnecessarily. Looking forward to 20 Minutes on Holiday when it comes out!
September 22, 2021
Wonderful premise/Quick, fun reads....
I have read most of Mr. Hurst's catalog and find his novels engaging and imaginative. However, they tend to be filled with punctuation, syntax and grammatical errors. To the point where you wonder to yourself if you should place a call to the grammar police. A very talented author in need of a good proofreader and editor, which is whyI didn't give top marks to this book.
I have read most of Mr. Hurst's catalog and find his novels engaging and imaginative. However, they tend to be filled with punctuation, syntax and grammatical errors. To the point where you wonder to yourself if you should place a call to the grammar police. A very talented author in need of a good proofreader and editor, which is whyI didn't give top marks to this book.
May 2, 2022
I am really enjoying how this story is progressing. This is a serious investment and I caution anyone considering starting this series to only do so if you have the time to invest in binge reading. I absolutely could not imagine starting another book in between these.
This is book 3 of 20. If you have not read the previous books, I urge you to STOP reading my review as I will address past character development.
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It's been a month and we are spending 20 minutes at Hyde Park with old and new characters. First let me say that I am not an American that is obsessed with the UK. I know lots of people are but I'm not. The only things I know about London are Big Ben, The Red Eye, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry once dressed as a Nazi for Halloween back in is teens/rowdy twenties and people lost their shit, and Lady Di was murdered. Wait also Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Elton John, and David Bowie are all amazing. That's it. That's all I got. So, in my mind I can't picture the size or beauty that is Hyde Park. A bitch had to Google it.
So we have this LARGE park being occupied by a large diverse group of people. A music festival with over 10k people in attendance, a dog park, runners trails, families playing with their kids, and fitness classes. We have people from all social economic classes taking up space from the eccentric rich dog lover, business men, ex cons, addicts, and the homeless. Basically all walks of life.
We get to catch up with our favorites. Jelena and Bagdon. And we meet some newbies who have some shady pasts, family secrets, and like book one there are a few tragic events who I believe may cause the first responders that were in book 2 to make a reappearance. That's just a theory but I think it's a reasonable one.
Bogden continues to be our hero. We get to check in on the positive storyline of Will and his support system and precocious tween Harry. We have a new bad guy joining the ranks of Joe and Valentin.
This is some good shit. I like that each story is under 200 pages and there are constant twists and turns.
This is book 3 of 20. If you have not read the previous books, I urge you to STOP reading my review as I will address past character development.
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
It's been a month and we are spending 20 minutes at Hyde Park with old and new characters. First let me say that I am not an American that is obsessed with the UK. I know lots of people are but I'm not. The only things I know about London are Big Ben, The Red Eye, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry once dressed as a Nazi for Halloween back in is teens/rowdy twenties and people lost their shit, and Lady Di was murdered. Wait also Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Elton John, and David Bowie are all amazing. That's it. That's all I got. So, in my mind I can't picture the size or beauty that is Hyde Park. A bitch had to Google it.
So we have this LARGE park being occupied by a large diverse group of people. A music festival with over 10k people in attendance, a dog park, runners trails, families playing with their kids, and fitness classes. We have people from all social economic classes taking up space from the eccentric rich dog lover, business men, ex cons, addicts, and the homeless. Basically all walks of life.
We get to catch up with our favorites. Jelena and Bagdon. And we meet some newbies who have some shady pasts, family secrets, and like book one there are a few tragic events who I believe may cause the first responders that were in book 2 to make a reappearance. That's just a theory but I think it's a reasonable one.
Bogden continues to be our hero. We get to check in on the positive storyline of Will and his support system and precocious tween Harry. We have a new bad guy joining the ranks of Joe and Valentin.
This is some good shit. I like that each story is under 200 pages and there are constant twists and turns.
June 16, 2022
Moving into Book #3 of this series, we have the Music Festival at Hyde Park. This book like the previous two is a novel inter-connected with several characters, some of which we have seen in the previous books and others are new. We also have a few questions answered from the previous two as well. The book starts with Jelena's story as she is recuperating now from her tragic ordeal and enjoying a day at Hyde Park when she sees one of the guys who abused her. We have Bogdan again standing up for Jelena, Harry who finds some "sweet mints" and this ends on his cliffhanger and I hope in the next book, that we see he didn't take them, Jag whose about to discover that this is her last day on earth, we learn what happened to Olivia - our lovely red-haired female from the tube, Louise who is still thinking about what Josh did to her and then, of course, April who is now dating Josh for the past five months and Will Robertson who has finally received his big break on stage - if only he could realize that his girl next door loves him. I have to admit, there were a few characters that broke my heart - Chester and his little dog Rafferty when they were attacked and then some, I hope to get what is deserved in the next books like Diego. I am now looking forward to continuing this series with the next book 20 minutes on Holiday as we experience revenge in Romania, separation in Santorini, and murder in Moscow.
May 31, 2020
This is the third book in the 20 Minutes series and it was just as good as its predecessors. Set a month after the last book, this instalment takes place in and around Hyde Park where there is a music festival happening, a drug dealer dealing, an elderly man walking his dog, a homeless girl who regrets her mistakes, and a man Jelena recognises from her days as a trafficked sex worker.
As always, the short character segments provide just enough background to get us invested before moving onto the next person. The connections between characters were cleverly crafted, with plenty of scope for expansion in later series.
Triggers in this book include trafficking, rape, violence, drugs, murder, and homelessness.
The grammar/readability wasn't perfect but that doesn't detract from how good this book was. Roll on book 4!
Rating breakdown
Plot/narrative - 4
Writing style/readability - 3.8
Characters - 4
Diverse themes - 4
Ending - 4
Overall - 4
As always, the short character segments provide just enough background to get us invested before moving onto the next person. The connections between characters were cleverly crafted, with plenty of scope for expansion in later series.
Triggers in this book include trafficking, rape, violence, drugs, murder, and homelessness.
The grammar/readability wasn't perfect but that doesn't detract from how good this book was. Roll on book 4!
Rating breakdown
Plot/narrative - 4
Writing style/readability - 3.8
Characters - 4
Diverse themes - 4
Ending - 4
Overall - 4
August 7, 2025
Book 3 shifts the chaos from the London Underground to a music festival in the park and it’s somehow even more dangerous in the sunshine.
We get Will’s full-circle moment, Ruth’s emotional mom arc, and a healthy helping of twisted new backstories. More gay characters. More messy relationships. More emotional gut-punches.
Standouts:
• Will’s performance and dedication to Ruth had me sobbing.
• Chester’s entire POV is painfully relatable.
• Izzy’s fallen-from-grace moment = chef’s kiss potential.
• And Bogdan is officially entering his Liam Neeson revenge era.
Drawbacks?
• Harry thinking ecstasy pills are candy… Sir.
• Some arcs (like Carol’s) felt more like intermissions than storylines.
• Diego being this disgusting and boring? Hate him but wish he were a little more compelling.
But overall? Another win. Hurst keeps delivering chaos with a side of depth. Can’t wait for the revenge, fallout, and twisted reveals in Book 4.
We get Will’s full-circle moment, Ruth’s emotional mom arc, and a healthy helping of twisted new backstories. More gay characters. More messy relationships. More emotional gut-punches.
Standouts:
• Will’s performance and dedication to Ruth had me sobbing.
• Chester’s entire POV is painfully relatable.
• Izzy’s fallen-from-grace moment = chef’s kiss potential.
• And Bogdan is officially entering his Liam Neeson revenge era.
Drawbacks?
• Harry thinking ecstasy pills are candy… Sir.
• Some arcs (like Carol’s) felt more like intermissions than storylines.
• Diego being this disgusting and boring? Hate him but wish he were a little more compelling.
But overall? Another win. Hurst keeps delivering chaos with a side of depth. Can’t wait for the revenge, fallout, and twisted reveals in Book 4.
September 23, 2022
20 Minutes in the Park is a fascinating story written by Daniel Hurst. This story takes place in Hyde Park in London within twenty minutes and continues stories from previous books but also introduces a few new characters. Each character has their own story which interacts with the others. Lots of suspense. Fast moving pace.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response and all opinions are my own. I have rated this story with five stars. This is an unique series and really holds the readers interest.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response and all opinions are my own. I have rated this story with five stars. This is an unique series and really holds the readers interest.
January 16, 2022
Brilliant
I am so addicted to 20 minutes.......... Series I am just reading them back to back. I know I have a fair few books to go before I finish the series ... But already there are more twist new characters. Old characters.. Fo!owing there story. Shocking what jelene had to go through.... With the help bogdon who found her have her that last bit of faith before she was lying almost unconscious
I am so addicted to 20 minutes.......... Series I am just reading them back to back. I know I have a fair few books to go before I finish the series ... But already there are more twist new characters. Old characters.. Fo!owing there story. Shocking what jelene had to go through.... With the help bogdon who found her have her that last bit of faith before she was lying almost unconscious
May 5, 2020
Fantastic read!!
20 minutes, 20 people, 20 chapters. It's great catch up with the returning characters, nice to see some new faces too. This is another cracking read in the 20 minutes series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait until the next book in the series is released.
20 minutes, 20 people, 20 chapters. It's great catch up with the returning characters, nice to see some new faces too. This is another cracking read in the 20 minutes series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait until the next book in the series is released.
June 20, 2022
Good series
I have read several of the author’s books and always enjoy them. I did not enjoy an unpleasant episode involving an animal. I have always trusted this author not to go there. I have read several of his books and never experienced that from him before. I hope there will not be anything like that in the rest of the series.
I have read several of the author’s books and always enjoy them. I did not enjoy an unpleasant episode involving an animal. I have always trusted this author not to go there. I have read several of his books and never experienced that from him before. I hope there will not be anything like that in the rest of the series.
July 23, 2022
Brilliant as always
Once again Daniel Hurst has done it. Another story, causing pages to be turned quickly, gasps and cries of "oh no!" And once again, I will be moving quickly on to the next in this series, as I need to find out what will happen next.
Daniel Hurst has been very clever writing these books, keeping them cheap (99p) and always ending with a cliff hanger.
Once again Daniel Hurst has done it. Another story, causing pages to be turned quickly, gasps and cries of "oh no!" And once again, I will be moving quickly on to the next in this series, as I need to find out what will happen next.
Daniel Hurst has been very clever writing these books, keeping them cheap (99p) and always ending with a cliff hanger.
December 31, 2022
Awesome
Another excellent book in the 20 minutes series. Brilliant idea, cleverly crafted and leaving the reader wanting more. Excellent idea for a reference point to this story being a busy London park with a music festival as the background to the linkage of the stories of the diverse characters we are get to know in the series.
Another excellent book in the 20 minutes series. Brilliant idea, cleverly crafted and leaving the reader wanting more. Excellent idea for a reference point to this story being a busy London park with a music festival as the background to the linkage of the stories of the diverse characters we are get to know in the series.
December 31, 2023
Great concept
I love the overlapping and intertwining stories and the concept of 20 minutes in 20 people’s lives but the number of grammatical errors made the book unenjoyable and I found some of the characters to be too 2-dimensional. The afterthoughts written in italics really started to grate too. Good as a short read to reach my target of reading 50 books in 2023.
I love the overlapping and intertwining stories and the concept of 20 minutes in 20 people’s lives but the number of grammatical errors made the book unenjoyable and I found some of the characters to be too 2-dimensional. The afterthoughts written in italics really started to grate too. Good as a short read to reach my target of reading 50 books in 2023.
May 24, 2024
A failure for me
I have always enjoyed the Hurst books but this mess is to awful for words. This is a cliff hanger. There is no story line, instead it's a series of short stories each one about a different group of characters. To find out the ending of these stories you have to buy the next book. Editing and such is okay.
I have always enjoyed the Hurst books but this mess is to awful for words. This is a cliff hanger. There is no story line, instead it's a series of short stories each one about a different group of characters. To find out the ending of these stories you have to buy the next book. Editing and such is okay.
May 12, 2020
Hooked
The books in this series are an incredibly easy read, you become invested in the lives of the characters so easily and I am eager to know more and more ....roll on the next book
The books in this series are an incredibly easy read, you become invested in the lives of the characters so easily and I am eager to know more and more ....roll on the next book
August 18, 2020
Again, I really enjoyed the book.
I love a book with short chapters and the fact they are all slightly different stories from different characters makes it even better. I’m so glad there are more in this series coming and all I have to say is roll on September because OH NO HARRY!!!!
I love a book with short chapters and the fact they are all slightly different stories from different characters makes it even better. I’m so glad there are more in this series coming and all I have to say is roll on September because OH NO HARRY!!!!
September 15, 2020
Some new and some old characters in this tale set a few months after 20 minutes on the tube. The busker makes good, the sex trafficking victim starts a new life and her saviour has someone in his sights. Set in Hyde Park the stories continue to weave. Great stuff.
March 10, 2021
Another excellent collection of stories as we continue to follow the adventures of our previous protagonists. Each story takes you further along their lives. The characters are well-written and the stories are gaining in depth. I highly recommend this series.
September 4, 2021
Very worthwhile reads
This was my third read in the series after reading a few of his stand-alone books. My favorites still remain The Passenger & The Woman (at the door), in addition to this series. However, am in awe of his writing as it’s varied but never disappoints.
This was my third read in the series after reading a few of his stand-alone books. My favorites still remain The Passenger & The Woman (at the door), in addition to this series. However, am in awe of his writing as it’s varied but never disappoints.
November 23, 2021
Interesting
It's crazy to think about everything that happened in just 20minutes! It's fast paced and the characters lives are very interesting. The author knows how to captivate the reader yearning for more. I sometimes wish each characters story was a bit longer.
It's crazy to think about everything that happened in just 20minutes! It's fast paced and the characters lives are very interesting. The author knows how to captivate the reader yearning for more. I sometimes wish each characters story was a bit longer.
November 24, 2021
Another amazing instalment
I absolutely love this series. The characters are well developed and the links to each other are not always obvious but is explained later. I can't wait to find out what happens next. I don't have to wait long as the next book is already downloaded!
I absolutely love this series. The characters are well developed and the links to each other are not always obvious but is explained later. I can't wait to find out what happens next. I don't have to wait long as the next book is already downloaded!
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